The river ran fast and hissed furiously when a dark feline approached the bank. The feline was a small, dark gray tabby she-cat with a faint white muzzle, padding softly over the rough boulders. The cat sat down gently, admiring with mild interest the many trees and bushes around the boulders. Suddenly, a rustling noise was heard, but the dark tabby did nothing, looking instead rather relaxed. Without further ado, the bushes exploded as another cat jumped from the bushes.
The she-cat was pinned down by a large ginger tom, his fur bristled and his lips drawn back in a fierce snarl. The she-cat hissed and unsheathed her own sharp claws, launching a flurry of scratches aimed at her opponent's belly.
To avoid the fatal rakes, the tom bounced from over the she-cat, who rose up as soon as possible, letting her fur bristle and reveling her teeth in turn.
With a powerful leap, the dark tabby pounced on the other cat, holding herself on his back with unsheathed claws. The tom dropped to the ground and rolled, attempting to crush the she-cat on the ground, but she was quicker and was already standing unharmed when he got up, his effort wasted.
They traded another round of hisses and snarls, each waiting for the other to make the next move.
The ginger tom moved first, sheathing his claws as he aimed to bring down his paw on the dark tabby's head, but yet again she was already out of range, jumping above him.
That time, however, the tom was ready and caught her leg while she was in midair with his teeth, pulling down her to the ground. The she-cat fell heavily and in a heartbeat the ginger tom was already pinning her again sooner than she could recover. After a while, he felt her limp under his paws. He relaxed, but did not yet release the she-cat.
The tom yowled in pain as he felt his shoulders being raked. Warm blood poured, and only too late did he realize the tabby she-cat had used them to gain impulse in order to escape from underneath him.
A heartbeat later the dark tabby had already climbed on his back once more. Before he could try to throw himself at the ground, the ginger tom felt teeth fasted around his scuff. It was too risky to act. He accepted his defeat and felt teeth sink, aiming for a most likely fatal blow.
"Enough, Duskwatcher, you win!" the ginger tom mewed, "You don't have to kill me, you know?"
Lashing her tail teasingly, Duskwatcher released the tom's scruff and jumped to the ground, landing softly on all four. Her fur fell flat and she was not spitting rage anymore.
"Oh, you're such a letdown", she purred, her amber eyes gleaming with amusement.
The ginger tom let out a mrrow of laughter, his fur now flat also, and flicked his tail before sitting down. He licked both of his shoulders a few times to clean the blood, which had stopped pouring as intensively as earlier.
"You've improved a lot", he meowed after a while, "I'm very proud of you."
Duskwatcher felt hotter under her fur, delighted by the praise. Not so long ago, she was as good a fighter as kit, and she was very happy with her own progress. It was a great achievement for her, to defeat her powerful mentor despite her small size, even if it had been just training.
"Thanks", she meowed with sincerity.
The tom put his ginger tail over Duskwatcher's mouth.
"We have stayed here long enough. Let us go back to the camp, these wounds you gave me still sting a little!", he meowed, making a face, "Better not risk an infection."
The dark tabby let out a small gasp, worried for him, but did not say a word. The ginger tom flicked his tail once more and jerked his head to the bushes before dashing as best as he could in that direction and Duskwatcher hurried after him.